Drug and alcohol dependence
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Oct 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of electronic screening and brief intervention on hazardous or harmful drinking among adults in the hospital outpatient setting: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.
Most trials of electronic alcohol screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) have been conducted in young people. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of e-SBI in adults with hazardous or harmful drinking. ⋯ These results do not support the implementation of an e-SBI program comprising personalized feedback and normative feedback for adults with hazardous or harmful drinking in the hospital outpatient setting.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Oct 2018
Comparing the contribution of prescribed opioids to opioid-related hospitalizations across Canada: A multi-jurisdictional cross-sectional study.
The Canadian opioid crisis is a complex, multifaceted problem involving prescribed, diverted and illicitly manufactured opioids. This study sought to characterize the contribution of prescribed opioids to opioid-related hospitalizations in Canada. ⋯ There remains an important ongoing contribution of prescribed opioids to overdoses across Canada, but non-prescribed opioids play a growing role, particularly in BC. These findings underscore the importance of more judicious opioid prescribing, harm reduction programs, and improved access to addiction care for people with an opioid use disorder.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Sep 2018
Initial results of a drug checking pilot program to detect fentanyl adulteration in a Canadian setting.
Opioid overdose deaths in North America have been rising largely as a result of fentanyl adulteration in the illegal drug supply. Drug checking is an established harm reduction intervention in some European settings but has not been broadly implemented or evaluated in North America. We are evaluating a pilot program offering drug checking for people who use street drugs in Vancouver, British Columbia. ⋯ This pilot program has demonstrated the feasibility of drug checking for identifying individual drug samples containing unexpected or hazardous substances, including fentanyl. By identifying the range of adulterants and diluents and giving an estimate of their prevalence in different drug types, it has also provided information about the composition of the illicit drug supply in an urban North American setting.
-
Drug Alcohol Depend · Sep 2018
Acute harms associated with inhalant misuse: Co-morbidities and trends relative to age and gender among ambulance attendees.
Inhalant misuse is the deliberate inhalation of products containing toluene to induce intoxication. Chronic harms associated with inhalant misuse are well described; including alcohol and other drug use, mental health disorders, and suicidal behaviours. However, the nature of the acute harms from inhalants and characteristics of people who experience those harms are not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the acute harms associated with inhalant misuse attendances, and to determine whether these differ by age or gender. ⋯ Ambulance presentations related to inhalant misuse were associated with acute and serious harms. This study highlights that the acute treatment needs of those misusing inhalants are complex and may need to be tailored to gender and age groups.
-
As vaping rapidly becomes more prevalent, social media data can be harnessed to capture individuals' discussions of e-cigarette products quickly. The JUUL vaporizer is the latest advancement in e-cigarette technology, which delivers nicotine to the user from a device that is the size and shape of a thumb drive. Despite JUUL's growing popularity, little research has been conducted on JUUL. Here we utilized Twitter data to determine the public's early experiences with JUUL describing topics of posts. ⋯ Data from social media may be used to extend the surveillance of newly introduced vaping products. Findings suggest Twitter users are bonding around, and inquiring about, JUUL on social media. JUUL's discreetness may facilitate its use in places where vaping is prohibited. Educators may be in need of training on how to identify JUUL in the classroom. Despite JUUL's branding as a smoking alternative, very few Twitter users mentioned smoking cessation with JUUL.